I would LOVE to collect this stuff.. Ever since MMPR aired at 3:30pm when I got home from school I've been a huge fan of these mecha.

Unfortunately due to funds and lack of space I can't go down this avenue. However I've found a much more suitable alternative and that being candy toys. The current sentai zords aren't nearly as cool as the older ones, require some work (building & sometimes painting) and don't have all the gimmicks as the DX variety, but its a fix.

You're speaking my language brother! My Godaikin collection led the way to collecting modern power rangers. There are some great toys and I'm disappointed in myself for not getting them when they were new. I’m nearly done with the full set. Here are my personal favorites in no particular order:

- 1st Series Power Ranger – A simplistic transformation, but a satisfying Robot mode
- Shogun Megazord – (shown above!) VERY cool Robot mode, I’m not a huge fan of the individual Shogun Zords, but overall a good looking merged form.
- Time Force Megazord – I like the individual ships, good die-cast content, and has 2 different formations.
- Wild Force Megazord/Animus Megazord – Really, really quality figure. HEAVY, good die-cast, fun transformation. I’m not a huge fan of “animal” bots, but this is a clear exception
- Everything from Ninja Storm /Hurricaneger – This is a case where you may want to check out the Sentai versions for the better die-cast. These are HUGE bots, HEAVY bots, and the combination of Storm, Thunder, and Samurai Star Megazords is pretty impressive. If you’re a fan of Live Man, the Storm Megazord is an homage to that character.
- Shinkenger – The main character from the new show is a REALLY satisfying toy. Great individual transformations, cool robot, and very unique design.
- Lightspeed Rescue Line – Lots of GREAT, classic designs here! Probably my favorite line overall. Supertrain is HUGE and imposing, Lightspeed and Omega Megazords are TOTAL throwbacks to the original Godaikin toys – futuristic die-cast cars that turn into robots!
- Mega Voyager – Again, great robot mode, the individual vehicles are interesting and he’s big!

There are some other good toys I like, maybe lesser depending on your preferences but interesting toys: Centaraus Megazord (transformation reminds me of Dynaman), Astro Megazord, Zeo/Super Zeo Zords both have their merits.

These would be my suggestions as well. And both are from the era of nearly identical US releases. Time Force MZ (Timerobo Alpha/Beta) is nicely complex and uses just enough diecast to reinforce the potential weak points. Besides its two robot modes and the seperate jets, it also has a big flying wedge mode that combines the five fighters. The second main Timeranger robo, the black flying wing, has a gorgeous jet mode, kinda cool robot mode with most of the jet hanging off it, and a pretty lame combined mode with Timerobo - but it has a CLASSIC 'five chairs in a big room' cockpit, as seen in most sentai robos' TV versions, in its back. Timerobo also has cockpits in the five jets, but besides the red one, they have very bland designs that don't look right without the hard-to-get pilot figures. So, Timerobo isn't as aesthetically slick as its stealth buddy, but its transformation engineering is pure fun.

About Wild Force/GaoRanger - all the robos are pretty great, but what really stands out to me are the redesigns of the main mech's components in the Animus MZ (GaoGod) and Predazord (GaoHunter), and the color design on those two. The visual motif of Animus/GaoGod is really gorgeous. The lions and tiger/cheetah/wolf components have quite a bit of articulation, and the various sharks even have waist joints (and landing gear! it's cool like that maintenance dolly thing that the Ninja Storm/Hurricanger dolphin component has). There's good use of diecast throughout, in those landing gear, the lions/wolf/cats' legs, the supporting structure of the bull/bison components that form legs and the birds that form head and torso/waist structure. Oh, and I almost forgot the solid bare metal plates, bearing sculpted and painted symbols, on the shoulders of the WFMZ, Animus MZ and Predazord. Those are susceptible to paint loss, and may be unpainted on some US releases, but should be very easy to touch up oneself if desired.

I'm normally quite broke and the first to say so but Woot! finally got my last refund check from school. I've got a lil bit to spend and I'm thinking I need a sentai fix. Right now I'm really interested in the Gaoranger stuff you're talking about and Gingaioh. The giant brachio thing from Abaranger has me very interested. (as well as Bakurenoh. jesus the colours!) Any of the stuff availabe all mintay or misbay fairly affordable?

I tend to go with candy-toy models of the Sentai robos. I just got the Shinken-Oh. Very fun little toy if your on a tight budget. It transforms just like the DX, and it has better proportions/poseability (in my opinion). Boukenger had some awesome candy-toy kits too.

Here's a cool website of every Sentai show, I usually just browse through the different shows and mecha and then backtrack the toys from a certain show since every Sentai show has had toys made from it.

Oh man, thanks for that link Chen. Really easy, and concise to track the toy chronology.

I never kept up with the sentai shows after the Godaikin toys, but recently got the Star-IN-Box, and Great-IN-Box, sets, from Mark, at the summit. I had no idea where they fit into the Sentai universe, just that they were cool toys, and Mark was looking the other way, so I snuck 'em into my truck on the way out.

So they're from Five Man, and there's the Brother Combination Set with both, and a Magma Base robo. Cool.

I kinda like the Jetman stuff after that too.

I'm glad I was able to get that Shogun Megazord, the Us version cheep, but GAHHH, it' s got the PINK girly arm bot. Still a great design DX bot.

One of my regrets in life was never picking up the original three MMPR Zords. I bought what I THOUGHT was the Japanese version of the Megazord + Dragonzord but was actually cheaply made HK bootleg for $30 (oh how naive I was).

I stopped collecting Zords after Titan Megazord (Magiking).

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I asked if I have "Time For L-Gaim" but I got "No Reply From The Wind".

> I never kept up with the sentai shows after the
> Godaikin toys, but recently got the Star-IN-Box,
> and Great-IN-Box, sets, from Mark, at the summit.
> I had no idea where they fit into the Sentai
> universe, just that they were cool toys, and Mark
> was looking the other way, so I snuck 'em into my
> truck on the way out.

I highly recommend the toys in that in middle-line, the 7 series' between where BioMan ended with the Godaikins and Zyuranger started with Power Rangers. Frankly, those toys are some of the best, as they still have the die-cast content of the original Godaikin/Popy toys, but more detailed and sophisticated transformations of the later series. Liveman is the first toy to have a "merged" form with another vechile - a trait with just about every PR figure since then.

If you get a chance to grab a Maskman - I HIGHLY recommend it. Might be my favorite of the series for the great robot mode and the the really interesting combining form.

HAHA! So did I :D I have the standard one as well, but I thought this was too cool to pass up. Get your hands on Daivoyager if you can or haven't already. I got him when I got Gold Daibouken. Highly recommended. He's a great looking bot. Had to put some tape around some of the ball joints to tighten them up, but once I did its awesome. Real sturdy.

I'm a bit disappointed with Shinken-Oh.. Like I love the design and everything, but mine is a bit loose and playing with him results in trouble. Attaching the 3 other origami make him really unstable, plus the head pops off too easily.. I have him separate from the other origami's for now. I'm waiting for Ushi origami to be released and then I'll combine them all together and have one big mass of jumbled plastic like G-12.

I want to get the Abaranger candy toys.. They'll be next to impossible to find, but I'll always have an eye out for them.

So I got my first Japanese sentai toy. Bulltaurus from Gingaman. Scored it for only 35$. And it does rock the much so. If I were a competent writer I'd give a good review but the best I can do is: Awesome funk. Super posable smaller fig with decent die cast. Clever to the point transformation and serious presence. Big recommendations. Soon I should have Gingaioh on its way from japan. (Thank you tokyobuyers. you rock). I'd like to score more but right now its all I can afford. Next outing I'll go for the various Gaoranger stuff. Thanks tons for all the buying advice!

servbot30 Wrote:
> So I got my first Japanese sentai toy. Bulltaurus
> from Gingaman. Scored it for only 35$. And it does
> rock the much so. If I were a competent writer I'd
> give a good review but the best I can do is:
> Awesome funk. Super posable smaller fig with
> decent die cast. Clever to the point
> transformation and serious presence.

fuck yeah, Bulltaurus! I love how the fists spin out of the forearms - that always reminds me of how Gaogaigar spins out its fists in the animation. So does the way the core figure folds its arms, like Gaigar's but in reverse. They are brothers in spirit.

That's too funny...I just bought a Bulltaurus for dirt cheap, as well. I bet they go for so little since they got a release over here at FAO Schwartz (in the Japanese box with all it's diecast bits). I remember seeing it, and almost buying it, on an NYC trip in '98. Awesome toy.

asterphage Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> fuck yeah, Bulltaurus! I love how the fists spin
> out of the forearms - that always reminds me of
> how Gaogaigar spins out its fists in the
> animation. So does the way the core figure folds
> its arms, like Gaigar's but in reverse. They are
> brothers in spirit.
>
> Everyone should have a Bulltaurus.

Now that I have one and have fiddled with it a bit, there's no doubt this ought to be on that "Essential Modern Gokin" list. Sanjeev, I know you like the old stuff, but this thing might as well be. Well, technically, I think it IS old, but you get the point...

fujikuro Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sanjeev, I know
> you like the old stuff, but this thing might as
> well be. Well, technically, I think it IS old,
> but you get the point...

The gao ranger stuff is SOLID. The one with the giraffe arms is kickass.

Gingaman IMO is overrated. Too simplistic and a boring design, i would say gingaio is proof that diecast alone does not make a good toy. Sure it's solid, but you need engineering to complete the package. the only gingaman toy i ever really liked is the red vehicle combiner dude. Reminded me of Dynarobo in a big way. Speaking of which, one of them is in a Morphys lot.

"Gingaman IMO is overrated. Too simplistic and a boring design, i would say gingaio is proof that diecast alone does not make a good toy."

I agree with thing. Never found Gingaoh appealing. It's decent but there's better animal based combiners in sentai. Plus I felt that the Gingaman line couldn't decide what it wanted. It started with animal designs that had an ancient epic look then they changed that to include tech vehicles.

I forget their Japanese names, but the "Centaurus" and "Stratoforce" Megazords are pretty awesome. Pretty plausible futuristic vehicle designs, nicely complex engineering, and that utter rarity in five-part sentai combiners, a totally unified color scheme. They very much appeal to me in the same way as Timerobo. But it really is odd how Gingaman is split between these extremely down-to-earth sci-fi vehicles and the heroic animal robos.

Notice how sentai robots don't have chrome swords anymore. I think the last one might have been either Ohranger Robo or RV Robo. Even in the Japanese releases, the swords or any weapons are PVC now. I guess the days of mecha toys having a nice big chromed sword are behind us (except for adult nostalgia based toys ala SOC and Brave Gokin).

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I asked if I have "Time For L-Gaim" but I got "No Reply From The Wind".